Automatic braking debut in almost all Toyota Cars by 2017

Following recent agreement by automakers to make an automatic braking a standard feature in all vehicles by 2022, Toyota has taken the lead to announce that almost every vehicle for sale from Toyota and Lexus will be equipped with automatic emergency braking by the end of 2017.

The Japanese auto manufacturer said that 25 out of 30 Lexus and Toyota models will come with its proprietary safety systems as a standard feature, both using radars, laser beams, and cameras to prevent collisions at different vehicle speeds.

Chief Executive Officer of Toyota Motor North America Jim Lentz said: “High-level driver assist technologies can do more than help protect people in the event of a crash; they can help prevent some crashes from ever happening in the first place.”

Toyota’s timeline would be five years ahead of the agreed industry-wide deadline of 2022, when 20 automakers will make automatic braking a standard feature on all new cars. The 2022 benchmark was announced last week by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Automatic braking is a technology for automobiles to sense an imminent collision with another vehicle, person or obstacle; or a danger such as a high brakes or by applying the brakes to slow the vehicle without any driver input.